Closure operator



Feb. 2U, 1923, 1,445,692?, l o. c. JOHNSON.

CLOSURE OPERATOR.

FILED NOV. I, .1921- 3SHEETS-SHEET 3 remata ret. o, tea

l tnt ORVILLE C. JOHNSON, 0F AURORA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHNSON AUTOMATIC DOOR OO., INC., OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CLOSUJRIJE OPERATOR.

Application filed November 7, 1921. Serial No. 513,476.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, ORVILLE C. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closure Operators, of which the following is a specication. Y,

This invention relates to lclosure operators and more particularly to that type involving anv automatic raising and lowering of a. sec- `Vtional l closure upon the application of a weight to an associated part. It has its special application to a garage door where platforms or tracks for a motor vehicle are provided at either `side ofthe door, one end of said platforms or tracks being depressed and the movement translated into a raising movement of the door.

It has for its object the improvement of the details of construction of such a device.

A further object is the production in a device of the character described of a, neatly and of means for adjusting the operating platform relative to the closure to produce a storm tight lit. Another object is the provision of eicient means of preventing damage incident to an uncontrolled lowering of the closure.` A still further object is the improvement of power transmission means whereby each inch ofv depression ofthe track or platform will raise the closure approximately vone foot.

A further object of the invention is fthe provision of a lock designed to be released upon a preliminary movement of the platform or track and to securely hold the sections of the closure in alignment as soon as the door is completely closed. Another ob ject is the improvement of the details of construction of such a latch and its cable operating means. v

A further object of the invention. is the provision of novel means for producing the buckling of the closure sections. Another "object is the provision in an automatically operating mechanism of checking means for.V

the door, which will effectively prevent slamming thereof in its closing movement, and of means for varyingthe tension of said checking means.

A still further object of theinvention isy the designing o f novel means for attaching a flat motor spring to a shaft whereby it will be held regardless ofthe shocks to which the 'closure-might be sub-jected in its operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear in the following description and the novel features thereof `will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawinzfggs,

Figure 1 is av vertical sectional view through the door showing the operating parts attached to a jamb,

Figure 2 is an enlarged View of the lower Aend vof the door and the operating platforms with associated parts,

Figure 3 is a front elevation looking from the inside of the building,

Figure t is a detail vie-w of the novel lock or latch employed in my construction of closure operator,

Figure 5 is an elevation of one side of my closure" looking from the outside of the building,

Figure 6 is a sectional view end of one side of the closure showing the combined wheel support and cablesattaching bracket-as well as the guide rail or wheel track,

Figure Z is a sectional view through my novel hoist at the upper end of the jamb, andl Figure 8 is a plan of the latch or lock shown in Figure 4.

Like yreference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

It will be understood that the invention may be Vvaried in its details of construction and that the specific embodiment illustrated and described herein is onlv indicative of the invention; the specific embodiment, however, is one which has been found to be practical inits construction and operation.

The numeral 10 indicates as a Whole my sectional closure, 1l the j ambs on which it is mounted, while 12 and 13 indicate, respectively, the outside and inside platforms or tracks, the movement of which operates mechanism which raises the closure.

The closure shown 4is made in two sections 14 an'd 15, hingedly connected upon their inner faces, the upper section being hinged through one to the outer face of atimber 16 across the 'iti maximum of opening without danger of locking the sections in their raised position.

This will be understood from the dotted line showing of the closure sections in raised position in Figure 1.

The floor sections are shown in the form of platforms, one within the building and the other outside. The outside platform or track is mounted between coping sections 17 Vflush with the platform when the closure is down, making a neat or snug fit therewith. As shown on the drawings the platform or tracks are hinged to angle irons 18 which are bolted to the cement floor or drive. Brace members 19 are provided uponA the under surface of the platforms and if necessary depressions may be made in the iioor and drive to receive them.

The platforms or tracks are connected together by means of two pieces of steel shaft- `ing 20, 20, one at either side of the platforms, passing through apertures in angle irons 21, 21,' provided upon the meeting edges of the platforms, the aperture in angle iron 21 being of approximately the same size as the steel shafting while that in angle iron 21 is slightly larger to permit of the slight freedomy of movement necessary in the operation of the closure. The steel shafting is held in a groove in the under face of the platform 12 by means of a plate 22 attached to the platform in any suitable A pin 23 is provided for holdf mg the shaft in position but permitting re-l manner.

moval thereof upon withdrawal of the pin, as will be obvious. f

- It will be noted that thelower end `of the lower section of the closure is provided with a weather strip 24 which fits between the angle irons 21 and 21 and fitting tightly against the face of the angle ironl 21. In order to adjust the platform to such atight fit with the lower edge of the closure section, I have provided a turn buckle 25 designed. to lift platform 13 which in turn ,will raise platform 12 into contact with the lower edge of the closure. Where the closure is provided for a heated garage or other building, it is desirableVl to have a tightfit of all joints. For this purpose an angle iron or track 26 is provided upon the face of the casing at each side of the closure, andl a felt strip is mounted upon the casing between the angle iron and the opening,

against which the closure fits, as indicated cured to the closure, and an axle 31 passes /through both legs of the U and sup rts upon an extended end a wheel 32 designed to travel upon the angle iron 26 in the movement of the closure.

The platform 12 is recessed or grooved to receive the wheel 32. In order to prevent the accumulation of water and the formation of ice in cold weather, resulting in an interference with'the operation of the door, this recess or groove is extended through the platform as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2.

I have provided means for raising the closure upon a depression of either of the platforms and this means comprises a hoist, \Which is shown more in detail in Figure 7, and connections between said hoist and the platform 13 and the lower ed e of the lower ,section of the closure. (Jablc 33 (Figure 1) is leaded into the turn buckle 25, passes through the lock or latch 34 and is attached to the hoist. Cable 35 is attached to the wheel support 29 by means of the hook 36 4extending through the brace and the U leg 30, the cable being leaded into a socket formed as an integral part of the hook. From this point the cable passes under the edge of the closure behind the strip 24, a recess being provided in the lower edge of the closure for that purpose, as will appear in Figures 2 and 5. The cable is then extended to the hoist where it is adapt` ed to be ywound in the operation of the mechanism.

Itwill beseen that any upward' pull upon the cable 35 in the direction of the vertical arrow of Figure 1 will tend to tilt,

swing-or roll the lower end of the section 15, producing a buckling of the hinged connection between the closure sections in therlirection of the horizontal arrow of Figure 1. This buckling action is neces- `sary in order to secure an efficient opera- -to the plate 37 by means of an angle 39 at the top and a bracket 40 at the bottom. Within this framework are mounted two axles 41 and 42, the axle 41 being extended and provided with an aperture near its und for a purpose hereinafter to" be set forth. On ythe axle 41 is loosely mounted the drunr 43 having rigidly secured thereto the pinion 44. Within the drum and having one of its ends secured thereto is the motor spring 45, the other end of the motor spring being attached to the axle by means of u bolt 46 passing through the axle and through an aperture in the spring end. the bolt having in its end a hole for the rcception of -a cotter pin. This attachment iaaaeea makes it impossible for the spring to become disconnected from the axle. ln any suitablemanner the cable 35 is attached to the drum..

@n the axle 42 there is loosely mounted a small drum 47 and the cog-wheel 48. The cable 33 is secured to this cog by leading as shown'in Figure 7 and the drum 47 is provided with a pin or projection 48 over which the cable passes, after which it is wound upon the drum. This construction insures a rotation of the cog wheel with the drum. rl`he cog wheel meshes with the pinion 44.

lt will be obvious that a depression of the platform will be transmitted through the cable 33 to the cog 48, which drives the pinion 44 and winds the cable 35 upon the drum 43, thereby raising the closure to the position shown indotted lines in IFigure 1.

The mechanism selected for illustration will cause a raising ofthe closure one foot for -each inch of depression of the platform.

ln the position ofthe parts shown the motor spring is under its maximum tension; upon a ralsing of the closure the spring will unwind. ln the closing of the door the spring will be placed under tension which urill gradually increase as the door ap1 preaches its closed position, being sufficient to prevent any slamming of the door in closing. ln order that the tension of this spring may be varied as occasionfrequires the hole till 50 has been provided in the end of the axle 41 into which may be insertedy a bolt for the purpose of turning the axle. Both axles 41v and 42 are normally held by pins passing through apertures 51, 51 therein and through the channel iron of the framework. Upon removal of the pin 51 associated with the -axle 41 it will be obvious that this axle may be rotated by the turning bolt to any desired extent, thereby placing the requisite tension upon the motor spring.

lin order that the sections of the closure may be held locked after they are dropped, a lock of the formation shown in Figures 4 and 8 .has been provided. The' lock is mounted upon the jamb through the medium of the plate 6l and the sliding bolt 60 is held to this plate by the angle member 52 at the lforward end and by the saddle 53 at the rear.

rlhe bolt is formed with a yoke 54, between the legs of which is mounted the sheave 55. The opposite end of the bolt passes through an aperture in the angle member 52"and 'is' held by the cotter pin 56. rlhe spring 59 surrounds the bolt and is of sucient tension to hold the bolt away from the latch 57 except when the weight of a car is upon the platform. rlhe latch 57 is pivoted betweenthe plate 51 and the angle member 52 with its'heel in position to bemoved by the bolt end to secure a release of the lock. 'small spring 62 is inserted in a'b'ore inthe upper end ofthe latch proper to secure its ens gagement with the keeper on the door.

llnvthe position of the parts shown the cable is pushed out of vertical line by the spring 59. When a vehicle depresses either of the platforms, this cable 33 is first brought into al substantial vertical line, which causes the bolt to be moved in the direction of the arrow of Figure 4 as far as the shoulder 63 will permit, when the latch 57 will be released, and the closure permitted to be raised. Assuming that thel closure has been raised, a descent thereof will cause the cable 33 to assume its position shown in Figure 1 and the latch will become automatically engaged with the keeper on the closure, as the momentum of the closure will be such as to insure its assuming a vertical position. 'llhe operation of the closure will be ap-v parent from, the detailed description of the invention, as the functions of the several parts have been pointed out in connection with said description. Only a general rsume of the operation will now be necessary. The positionof the parts as shown on the drawing is that of closed condition of the closure. Upon a movement of a vehicle of sufficient weight onto either inside or 'outside platform, both platforms will be depressed by reason of the shaft connection between them, and the cable 33 will in its preliminary movement release the lock and upon its further movement cause the hoist to raise the closure. As soon Vas the vehicle passes over and off the platforms the closure will descend; it will be appreciated that its closing movement will be under the control of the motor spring of the hoist, which will prevent slamming thereof. The tension of this motorv spring has been regulated with relation to the weight of the closure, so as to just permit the momentum of the closure to quietly cause the door sections to assume a full vertical position, when the closure will be automatically-locked upon the inside. lt will be appreciated that a very efficient preliminary buckling action is secured in the closure by the several details of construction, all of which contribute to this desirable result.A These features are the mounting of the hinges at the upper edge of the closure out of vertical alignment withv those connecting the closure sections, the provisions of the strip 24 upon the inner face of the closure, the passing of the operating cable around this strip and the attaching of it to the outer end of the wheel support. lln the lifting of the closure sections, ythe attachment of the cable `35 to the wheel support at claim as new and desire to secure by lLet ters atentis:

1.. 'lhe combination of a closure frame work a vertically movable closure hingedly connected to said framework at its upper end, a depressible operating element one end of which lies directly beneath the lower edge of said closure, and hoisting means for raising the closure upon a depression of the operating element, said hoisting means comprising a power cable and a lifting cable and means in the power cable for varying its length to adjust the relative position of the operating element to the closure to insure a tight fit between their meeting edges.

2. The combination of a vertically movable closure having a strip projecting from its lower edge, a pair of depressible operating elements spaced to receive between them the said strip, connections between said clements to accomplish joint operation thereof` and hoisting means for raising the closure upon a depression of either operating element, said hoisting means comprisingr a power cable and a lifting cable and means in the power cable for varying its length to adjust the relative position of the adjacent edges of the operating elements to said closure strip to insure a tight fit between their meeting edges. e

3. The combination with a building cloi sure and a lock therefor, of a depressible operating platform, a hoist for converting a movement of the operating platform into a greatly increased movement of said closure, said hoist comprising a power and a lifting cable, said power cable adapted in its initial movement to release said lock.

4. The combination with a building j amb and a vertically movable closure, of a latch on said jamb adapted to hold said closure against the jamb, and mechanism for releasing the latch and raising the closure comprising a lifting cable, a power cable and power multiplying gearing therebetween, said power cable adapted to engage and actuate said latch upon the application of power to said power cable.

5. The combination with a building closure adapted to lie in its closed position against the jambs of the opening, a lock mounted upon said jamb for maintaining the closure latched against the face thereof and comprising a tension member, a hoist for converting movement of said operating element into movement of said closure comprising a cable held out of line by the tension member of said lock, said cable being adapted in its initial movement to move said tension member to release the lock.

6i 'The combination with a sectional closure adapted to lie against the face of a j amb, theclosure being yhinged to the top of the jamb on its outer face and the sections thereof being hinged together upon a horizontal line on their inner faces, and a projection upon the lower outer face of said closure, of a hoist below the top of the jamb comprising a lifting cable extendin from the upper portion of said jamb, under the lower edge of the closure and attached to said projection.

7. The combination with a building closure adapted to be hinged to the upper cross beam of an opening and to close against the jambs thereof, comprising upper and lower sections connected by hinges upon their inner faces, said lower section carrying a strip upon its lower inner edge and a projecting element upon its lower outer edge, of operating means for said closure comprising a hoist and cables, one of said cables being connected to the projecting element and passing over said strip to pro uce upon a preliminary tensioning thereof a buckling of the closure sections at their hinged connection and a maximum of closure opening. 8. A building closure adapted to be hinged to the upper cross beam of an opening and to close against the jambs thereof, comprising an upper and a lower section hingedly connected, said lower section provided at its lower end with a projecting frame or support, means for producing a rolling contact between the lower edge of the closure and the jambs in the raising of the closure, and an operator for saidclosure comprising a cable passing under the edge thereof and attached to the outer portion of the projecting frame or support, whereby a maxi-- mum of closure opening is secured.

9. The combination of a building closure comprising sections hingedly connected and adapted to be buckled in the raising of the closure to its open position, the lowermost section of the closure being provided with a projecting support, depressible operating elements in front and rear of said closure opening, said operating elements being connected to be moved in unison, and means for raising the closure upon a depression of either operating element, comprising a hoist and cables extending therefrom to one of the operating elements and to the outer portion of said projecting support passing under the edge of the closure, said hoist comprising drums and gearing in such relation that unwinding of the operatin cable will produce a greatly increased win ing of the closure raising cable.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ORVILLE C. JOHNSON. 

